Past and Present
by EmpireofShadow
Summary: Crossover between the books and movie. "The past haunts the present in more ways than we realize." Hiccup is in for a surpise when he gets his own riding dragon egg. A hero is given a new chance at life.
1. Beginning Through an End

**Author's Note: This is a cross over between How to Train Your Dragon book series and movie, under the premise that the Hiccup in the movie was actually the first Hiccup. It takes place after, How to Break a Dragon's Heart, and contains major spoilers for the books and movie. There will be small deviations from the book series to help make it fit better. Read and Review, please.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but a dream.**

Hiccup didn't know how it had come to this. Riding atop Toothless in the dead of night above his island.

His burning island.

There didn't seem to be a place the flames hadn't touched. Even from this high up the heat was stifling. It was a conciliation that most everybody had made it off the island, currently off shore on a score of boats, heading toward the friendlier Viking islands to the east for refuge.

But Hiccup couldn't leave yet, not without knowing that he had gotten every one he could out of the inferno. He had already brought two others, both severely covered in burns, back to the fleeing boats. He was going back to look for the third time.

He rather doubted that there was anything left alive on the island.

But, sure enough, he saw someone squirming on one of the roofs. And with a gasp, he recognized it as Tuffnut.

A silent message passed between Rider and Dragon, and Toothless angled his wings towards the roof.

As they got closer Tuffnut finally noticed them and started shouting, but it wasn't until they were a hundred feet from him that they could hear him over the fire.

"TURN BACK! IT'S A TRAP!"

Too late.

A form shot out of the flames, sparks leaping off crimson feathers, riding it was a man clad in a strange garment. In his hand he held beautifully crafted bow, notched with a horribly twisted black arrow.

He let loose.

Hiccup couldn't even see it as it sailed through the air, but he felt it as surely as if it had struck his own body.

It struck Toothless perfectly in the chest. It pierced the Son of Lightning and Death's Heart. And in those final moments before the flames consumed him, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the First did not even care that he would die.

Because the arrow had as surely pierced his own heart as well.

----Three Hundred Years Later----

Thirteen year old Hiccup, prayed to whatever gods were listening that the past didn't repeat itself, as he made his way slowly but surely down the cave of Wild Dragon Cliffs, followed closely by the other Hooligan trainees. The last time he had been here had been a few years ago and it had ended….. rather badly. His calf ached in remembrance. The reasons for this trip into the cliffs were fairly similar to the last one, but with one crucial difference.

They were not going to the Dragon Nursery this time, but rather the Hatchery. If Hiccup had thought that the last trip had been insane he thought that this trip was, ABSOLUTELY BRAIN DEAD! But, then again, Vikings have never been known for their rapier wits, and he was going along with the whole thing as well, so maybe he was a bit loony himself.

There was, believe it or not, some sound reasoning for making this otherwise insane trip. The boys were after Riding Dragon eggs. You see, unlike Hunting Dragons who tended to be no bigger than a large dog, Riding Dragons were, on average, about the size of a horse. Add that to the usual fact that dragons never really did anything unless they saw that it was in their best interest to do so, made Riding Dragons usually very very hard to train, despite how loud you yelled at it. So, the solution, as the Vikings saw it, was to get them young, before they even hatch preferably, and break them then. It did sound like good logic, but there was one major draw back. And, as the boys stepped into the Hatchery, they could clearly see what it was.

Around them were hundreds of dragons wildly ranging in size and shape. The only common thing that they all shared was the fact that they were all wrapped around their own set of eggs, fast asleep.

As quietly as they could, the boys dispersed, each heading to retrieve their own egg. They had to be even more quite than they had been the first time, because, despite entering during the dragons' winter coma, mother dragons were less under than the hunting dragons had been. You see, a dragon's body got colder the deeper asleep it was, it could even be chillier than the air at this time of month. But dragon eggs would die if they got too cold, as such, while caring for eggs, a mother dragon never went too far asleep, and, as such, remain fairly warm, even during their sleep coma. The eggs weren't yet being incubated, only the heat of a fire could do that, but they were being kept warm.

Hiccup started moving towards the nest of a Windwalker, the species of dragon he had been training with, but failed to watch carefully where he was stepping.

To his credit, the heir to the Hooligan Tribe uttered not so much as a sound as he fell down the hidden shaft, however much he wanted to. Fortunately for Hiccup, the shaft was not that deep nor that steep, and he more slid than fell down it, sending loose rocks sounding off the stone floor.

Every boy, immediately, stood stark still.

Some of the closer dragon dames shifted a bit, but eventually settled back down. Apparently, the sound of falling rocks was not so uncommon to concern them.

Every boy took a deep sigh of relief and started back to the chore of choosing an egg.

All with the exception of Fishlegs, Hiccup's best friend, who had already grabbed the first egg nearest the exit, not really caring about what kind of dragon he got, so much as actually getting out of here. He, instead, headed toward the shaft that he had seen Hiccup fall down. Peering down into the blackness of it, he called out in his loudest whisper, "Hiccup! Are you okay!"

Hiccup was very much fine, maybe nothing more than a few bruises, of which he was used to. "Fine!" he cried back in a loud whisper of his own. He took a moment to find where the shaft was and proceeded to climb back up it.

At least, he was, until his hand accidentally brushed something small and too irregularly smooth to be a rock. At first, he thought he had inadvertently put his hand on a electrosquirm, a type of small dragon that can generate electricity, due to the current that seem to shoot up his arm. But, pulling his arm away instinctively, he could see this was not the case.

Because there, sitting amongst the rocks, was the unassuming shape of a black dragon egg.

Logically, he knew that he should not touch the thing that had shocked him. Logically, he knew that this egg could not still contain a living dragon, it was far too cold. Logically, he knew he should just continue up the shaft, grab an egg, and get out. But something stopped him.

It felt rather like the time he had somehow managed to find Toothless, his small hunting dragon, in complete darkness, just knowing he was there. It felt like he had meant to find this egg. So, despite not being the logical thing to do, he picked up the egg, and stashed it in his bag.

That done, he finished climbing up the shaft, just as the other boys were finishing grabbing their own eggs. Fishlegs helped him up the last little bit, and together they turned towards the exit along with the other boys.

Silently, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third thanked whichever god had been listening that this trip had ended up a lot better than the last one.

Then, Fishlegs sneezed. Four very Long, very Loud sneezes.

Apparently, said god was Loki.


	2. How to Hatch an Egg

**Author's Note: Constructive Criticism is appreciated. Flamers will be brutally mobbed.**

**Disclaimer: All things trace back to Cressida Cowell. **

Absolute whiteness. A place between life and death. Where no mortal soul dared to stay long, except one. A single smudge of black in a place otherwise void of color.

Perhaps, people had not been so wrong as to call this being the Son of Death, because indeed, as sons are apt to do, he defied it, but not for his own sake. Rather, he defied it for the one he held close to his chest, wrapped in his wings. The one he refused to ever let go.

And this is how they stayed for centuries. Until, the one held in his embrace finally started to stir.

* * *

Hiccup really did like his friend Fishlegs, truly he did. But there were time that he could understand why the other trainees didn't.

Times like now.

Nobody bothered to wait and see if the dragons would wake up this time. They had all already grabbed their eggs and made a quick beeline out of the cave.

Which was a good thing to, because not one minute later a terrible roar seemed to echo through the stone walls, promising certain death and destruction.

Fortunately for the boys, the way they had entered was quite narrow and even a fully enraged riding dragon would find it difficult to exit that way. As such, they found themselves making out of the cave long before their pursuers. Still, they would have found themselves hard pressed to climb all the way down the Cliffside before the dragons could catch up with them. Jumping into the ocean wasn't a valid option either, the cold water would kill their eggs.

So, it was again very fortunate that somebody knew that in all likelihood, something like this would probably happen.

Gobber the Belch, a huge bear of a man with a rather perverse sense of humor and, unfortunately, the boys' instructor, while not being the brightest jellyfish in the sea, wasn't so dim to think that any expedition with Hiccup or Fishlegs in it would ever go smoothly (call it personal experience). So as the boys exited the cave, they were quite surprised to see Gobber waiting for them with a pack of Sabre-Tooth Dragons, one of the few dragon species that did not sleep during this time of the year.

"Let me guess," drawled Gobber, in an oddly soft voice for him, looking at the clearly frightened boys, "either Hiccup or Fishlegs woke the entire nest."

At this, ten boys (all with the exception of the previous two mentioned) yelled, "YEP!"

---Later---

All things considered, it was actually a rather good day for Hiccup. Of course, his definition of a good day as of late was one that didn't include being captured by an insane tribe (he quite preferred his own insane tribe, thank you very much) and/or being swallowed whole (which, as any Viking will tell you, is a very real occupational hazard).

They managed to make it off the cliffs, although it wasn't exactly a pleasant trip. Sabre Tooth Dragons, while much larger than hunting dragons, weren't quite big enough to fly with the boys on their backs. So, instead, they half glided, half fell to the ground.

After taking a minute or two to kiss the ground, they high tailed it back to the village, just as the first dragons managed to get out of the cave.

"_For the record,__" _grumbled One-Eye, as the group headed for the village, to Hiccup, _"I would have left you boys there for the dames, if given the choice. I don't much like the idea of helping egg snatchers."_ All of this was said in dragonese, a language only Hiccup understood.

One-Eye was the leader of the Sabre-Tooth dragons of Berk, and, as his name suggests, did indeed only have one eye. Last winter he had helped Hiccup retrieve the Vegetable-that-shall-not-be-named (known more commonly as a potato) from the island of Hysteria.

Hiccup didn't really want the grizzled dragon to think ill of him (he might decide he wasn't worth saving anymore). _"I didn't steal an egg,"_ he told the dragon in whispered dragonese (because despite how many times he saved the tribe with that skill, it was still considered unnatural. Vikings YELLED at dragons, not speak to them). _"I found a discarded one."_

One-Eye turned his eye towards the boy, obviously thinking about that, before giving a mirthless chuckle. _"Then I hope for your sake, boy, that that egg does hatch. It'd be a mild pity for you to be banished over a little dead egg."_

It was, perhaps, the nicest thing One-Eye had ever said to a human.

Nodding his agreement, Hiccup stopped with the other boys just outside the village. Their Instructor looking over them critically.

"**I TRUST ALL YOU PATHETIC MEAT SACKS MANAGED TO GRAB YOURSELVES AN EGG!" **yelled Gobber, back to his normal tone.

"YES SIR!" yelled back the trainees.

"**GOOD!"** continued Gobber, "You will all be given five months to hatch your dragon and teach it some basic commands, at the end of that time I will check the progress you've made with your beast. If I'm not impress you will be, **BANISHED!**"

Banishment, was very common in these days.

"**GLORY OR BANISHMENT!" **screamed Gobber.

"GLORY OR BANISHMENT!" screamed ten recruits, enthusiastically.

"Glory or Banishment," muttered Fishlegs and Hiccup, wondering if their luck thus far would hold.

* * *

Hiccup was feeling a bit more optimistic by the time he got to his house. After all, he had a prophecy about him that said he would become King of the Archipelago, how could he be banished?

…….Okay, the prophecy might be about his arch nemesis, and had been told to him by a crazy witch who lived in a tree. But still, nothing to worry about right?

Right?

In any case, he was glad that his father wasn't home and that his mum was still away on one of her quests. He wanted to check the egg over without being asked any undo questions, like why it was so cold, or, what kind of dragon lays black eggs. A question that, despite his impressive knowledge of the draconic species, he couldn't answer.

Settling on his bed, he opened his pack and quickly drew out the egg. It was, indeed black, or at least most of the time, the egg reflected a multitude of colors as he turned it in the candle light. It was also about two fist sizes , which was only slightly smaller than most riding dragon eggs, but felt a bit lighter than it looked. It was also, undeniably, very cold, but, with a sigh of relief, Hiccup saw that it didn't have the cracks that signified it as being dead.

The last rays of sunset reflected off of the egg for a moment, turning the edges of the egg a vibrant green, with only the center remaining black. It…almost, seemed liked it was looking at him expectantly.

Shaking that thought from his head, he return to the main room carrying his charge with him. Taking a minute or two to light a fire, he placed the egg in the middle of the flames, being careful not to burn himself. Dragons were fairly fire-proof and so to were their eggs. At least, he could tell his father that the egg was black from soot and not it's actual color.

Content, Hiccup went back to his room. Climbing into his bead, he wondered what kind of dragon would emerge from the strange egg. In his mind's eye, he saw himself being carried by a majestic deadly creature. Tall, proud, with a slew of horns and long sharp claws.

But, as he finally nodded off, all he wanted was Toothless, who, like most dragons, was in his winter coma. It was really, really cold, and nothing compared to a little dragon to heat his bed.

* * *

Three months passed, winter giving way to spring, and, surely enough, the little dragon egg started to thrum with life. Hiccup worked overtime to make sure that the egg was never long out of the fire, carrying in firewood through Berk's usual blizzards and getting up early to restart the flames. His father, after being explain that the egg was black with soot, gave his son a happy pat on the back (which nearly broke his spine), and launched into a long story about his first riding dragon.

Old Wrinkly, his grandfather on his mother's side, also put in his opinion. Saying that he saw a truly mighty dragon coming from this egg (He acted as a soothsayer these days, and told people that he could see into the future. Of course, no one ever took him seriously).

Even Toothless woke up, and, after giving the egg a cursory sniff, completely ignored it, telling (not asking) Hiccup to get him fish.

All in all, things were going smoothly.

At least until a terrible racket startled Hiccup awake one night.

"_Toothless,"_ he said, prodding the little dragon who was lying at the foot of his bed. _"Wake up."_

Toothless blinked his eyes open at Hiccup for a moment, orbs glowing in the darkness, before pointedly shutting them again.

"_T__o__othless not get up. Toothless too tired. Master worked Toothless to hard,"_ the green dragon muttered.

This was not necessarily the truth, but it was Toothless' normal excuse when Hiccup asked something of him.

"_Please, Toothless? Something made a noise, and I need you to help me see what it is."_

"_Probably just Master's imagination."_ As if to deny this, another loud noise came from the main room. _"Toothless not get up!"_

Quite used to this kind of behavior from the stubborn dragon, Hiccup decided to use a tried and true method. _"If you get up, I'll get you some oysters."_

"_The ones without the little black bits in them?"_

"_Sure,"_ conceded Hiccup, not at all looking forward to picking out all those little black bits.

Toothless was on his feet in an instant._ "Let's see what that noise was."_ As if it was his idea the whole time. Jumping up on Hiccup's offered shoulder, bright eyes shining in the gloom.

Sighing irritably, Hiccup got up, and opened his door to the main room. And there, lying amongst a field of collapsed chairs, was a little black dragon, looking around in a confused sort of way. Until he saw Hiccup and Toothless, and, to the surprise of both, he spoke.

Now, it is not completely unusual for a newly hatched dragon to speak, they are, after all, born a lot less needy than their human counterparts. Dragonese is an inborn language for them, and they usually hatch into this world demanding fish. So it wasn't this fact that surprised the two.

Rather, it was the fact that the hatchling spoke in perfect Norse!

"What in Woden's name is going on?!"


	3. New Life, New Problems

**Author's Note: Don't expect me to keep this pace.....REVIEW!**

**Disclaimer: Gavin no own this.**

The being fought the rising terror that suffused him as he felt as if he were being suffocated. Darkness surrounded him, holding him, crushing him, trying to squeeze the life from him. He kicked out at it, trying to banish the darkness, until with an audible crack he did just that. Tumbling out of the confines he had been held in, he rolled onto the cold hard floor, accidentally knocking over something metal in the process.

Confused and disoriented, he opened his eyes, only to close them instantly, as an intense wave of feelings overwhelmed his senses. He could smell a dying fire behind him, mixing with the smell off fish and people and dragons that hung in the air. His ears rang as a thousand small sounds assaulted them.

Unused to such sensitivity, it took him a minute to collect himself enough to peek open his eyes. He knew that it was dark, but for some reason he could actually see quite clearly. His first thought was that he had somehow stumbled into the house of some giant, the layout seeming abnormally large.

Still confused he started to look around, tripping on his own feet, and yet, still not noticing that he had four of said appendages instead of one. Going over to where the chairs were, he started to sniff at them without actually understanding why he was doing so.

At least, he was until he noticed a black, familiar looking, snout in front of his face.

Startled, he jerked back, again tripping himself and managing to knock over a few of the chairs in the process. One of which landed heavily on a part of his anatomy he was quite sure wasn't there before.

He lied there for a few minutes, unable to process what was going on, until he heard a door opening.

Turning his head, he saw a giant of a boy, scrawny, red hair, freckles, with a green dragon riding on his shoulder.

Looking at the boy, he said the first thing that came to his mind, "What in Woden's name is going on?"

Both boy and dragon seem to be rather surprise by this outburst, but quickly recover as the boy steps over to him. And then, he gets another shock, hasn't he had enough of those already?

The boys speaks to him in Dragonese! A language it had taken him years to learn.

"_Don't worry. You're in my home, we won't hurt you."_ The boy places his hand on the confused one's head in a comforting manner.

He recoils from the touch, backing away, only to (and really, this is getting repetitive) fall down again. Muttering at his apparent loss of coordination (he hadn't fallen this much in years!) he tries to stand up, only to be startled as the dragon, that had been on the boy's shoulder, was suddenly in front of him.

The green dragon gives him an experimental sniff, which he flinches away from, before turning back to look at the boy.

"_Toothless thinks this dragon as crazy as a Viking."_

Slowly, very slowly, the words register in his mind. Not only that the dragon had labeled himself Toothless, but had referred to him as a dragon.

Looking down, he confirms this statement. Seeing thick forelegs covered in black scales, where once was pale arms.

The room seems to spin, but still, he drilled the boy with a stare. He wasn't quite sure what prompted his next question.

"What is your name?"

The boy, apparently caught off guard by the sudden intensity of his gaze, took a moment before answering in a clear, strong voice.

"_My name is Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, son of Stoic the Vast, and Heir to the Hooligan Tribe."_

Then, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the First knew no more, as darkness reclaims his vision.

* * *

Hiccup the Third really didn't know what to make of this little black dragon. For one thing, he only knew of one other dragon that was capable of speaking Norse and she had learned it. Secondly, the dragon seemed exceedingly confused, and, by the way he moved, acted like he didn't know his own body. And now, just as he thought that the lines of communication were being breached, the dragon faints on him.

Silently, he asks the gods why something in his life couldn't just be simple.

Quickly, he sets the knocked over chairs upright, then bends down to gather the infant dragon in his arms. He then starts to head for his room when a hard nip on his calf reminds him of the other dragon in the room.

Toothless is looking at him with a barely concealed rage behind his eyes, smoke streaming from his ears. _"Master promised Toothless no black bit oysters, remember?"_

Sighing, not at all surprised that Toothless can still think of food, he tells him, "_I know Toothless. I remember, just give me a moment to put our new guest in my bedroom. We wouldn't want Newtsbreath or Hookfang to see him."_ Both were Stoic's hunting dragons that had an….interesting idea of play.

Clearly not wanting to wait, Toothless reluctantly, in a rare moment of compassion, agrees.

Settling the infant dragon on his bed, Hiccup takes a moment to actually look at the odd dragon.

An odd really is the word for him. His scales were a glossy black, pieces of visceral egg still clinging to him; a lean, cat-like, body; his head looked very similar to the salamanders Hiccup used to enjoy catching as a small child; fleshy antenna taking the place of ears; overly large eyes and wings when compared to the rest of his body; and with two sets of fins at the base and tip of his tail. Most noticeable of all, at least for a Viking, is the distinct lack of draconic weaponry. No spikes, no horns, and claws that did not impress.

Somewhat disappointed, but not really very surprised, Hiccup left to get Toothless his oysters.

----Far in the North----

Two figures trudged along the icy wastes in silence. Both covered from head to toe in so much fur that it made their features indistinguishable.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" hisses the Taller of the two, trailing behind the other due to having an odd limp.

The other turns to look at the Taller, and, despite not being able to see a face, the Taller felt sure that a patronizing grin was being given.

"Of course. There is no love lost between the Wanderers and Vikings, and I am sure I can convince them of our cause."

The Taller still felt unsure, especially if the Wanderers recognized him…..

The other seemed to sense his thoughts, and, again, gave the impression of smiling. "Don't worry. I've known you from the moment you came screaming like a banshee into this world, and even I barely recognize you anymore."

With that, the other turned and resumed walking, cutting off any other protest the Taller may have. Soon enough the two came upon a small village consisting of animal furs stitched together to form hollow structures.

The two were surrounded moments later by more than a dozen warriors all pointing spears at them.

"I hope, for both our sakes, that you are right, Witch," whispers the Taller angrily.

Slowly, the other lowered her hood, revealing stark white hair that grew out in every direction, face pale and ancient, eyes clouded, and rotten teeth twisted in a feral grin.

"Trust me, before this year ends, you will be a King, son."


	4. Confusion

**Author's Note: I think I might be getting better with my writing…..Honest Reviews are wanted.**

**Disclaimer: All characters, except those you don't know about, belong to someone else.**

* * *

Sleepily, Hiccup rolled around in the bed, oddly feeling more relaxed than he had in years. Without the aches and pains that had stayed with him over years, nor the constant throb in his, no longer present, leg that would forever remind him of the price he'd paid to make peace with dragons. One he would willingly pay a thousand times over.

Slowly, he blinked open his eyes, eager to tell Astrid and Toothless about the interesting dream he'd had, and realized why it was that he felt so good.

Because this body had never gone through those trials.

Fantasy had crystallized into reality, as he saw the black snout in front of his face. His snout.

He bolted upright in an instant, immediately taking in his surrounding. This was not his and Astrid's room, it was far to small (at least, if he was guessing right in perspective). Relatively bare as well, with a single chair, a single small window letting in the morning sun, and a lumpy bed. There was also a few pieces of strewn out parchment on the floor that reminded him of his room when he was younger.

Slowly, Hiccup turned his head to a far more pressing issue, looking at a, his!, black scaled body, wings sagging, tail moving as if it had a mind of its own. In a state of shock, Hiccup started to move his wings, trying to deny that this was in fact his body, even as he felt the wings move to his commands, felt as they brushed against the bed, felt them!

'_This can not be happening,'_ Hiccup kept repeating over and over in his mind, as if he could just wish the appendages away by thought.

This, of course, did not happen.

By some strange humor from the gods, he was a Night Fury! A hatchling one, if he guessed right in comparison to his size, he was probably around the size of a small cat.

The sound of a door opening drew him out of his trance, new mobile ears shifting of their own accord, turning his attention to the boy who had called himself Hiccup the Third of his own tribe (which he knew couldn't be right because he was the only Hooligan to be named Hiccup). The boy was accompanied by another boy (who oddly resembled a fidgety daddy long-legs with glasses). Before Hiccup could form any kind of coherent sentence something else caught his complete and total attention.

Namely, the smell of fish.

Now, as anyone will tell you, in this green world of ours there is nothing as voracious as a hatchling dragon, and, despite having the mind of a human adult, Hiccup's body had ideas of it own.

Without even realizing what he was doing he rushed the boys, or more specifically the smell of fish that was coming from the pack on the twiggy boy's back. And, despite not even being one quarter of the boy's size, he knocked him over, spilling the contents of the boy's pack onto the floor.

And so, only half aware of what he was doing, Hiccup the First had his first meal as a dragon.

* * *

Hiccup the Third could only shake his head at the small black dragon who had tackled his friend Fishlegs. Wondering how he had ever thought that the small dragon was any different as he dug into the small fish they had collected for him with the same gusto of any hatchling dragon.

Helping Fishlegs up, he apologized to his friend, only to be dismissed.

"If that's the worst thing you have to deal with, an excitable dragon, you got off easy," muttered Fishlegs, looking at his bandaged hand.

Fishlegs' own egg had hatched a couple of days ago and, by some divine irony, the dragon who had come from it was a very promising looking Devilish Dervish, one of the better considered breeds among Vikings. Unfortunately, one of the first acts for the little dragon had been to nearly bite off Fishlegs thumb (which had prompted the name Nailbiter). Things hadn't gotten any better in the succeeding days.

Fishlegs shook his head and returned his attention back to his assailant, who had finished the fish faster than had been expected and was lying down with a drowsy contented look, truly looking at him. Then he voiced the same question that had been plaguing Hiccup's mind as well.

"What kind of dragon is he?"

Hiccup could only shrug his shoulders. "I really haven't the slightest."

Another voice joined in their conversation. "I'm a Night Fury."

The little black dragon had apparently gotten over his tiredness, and was drilling both boys with a glare that made Hiccup slightly uneasy. It wasn't exactly malicious, but it was piercing.

"He can talk?" exclaimed Fishlegs, reminding Hiccup that he had forgotten to mention this particular fact to his friend.

The little dragon turned his attention to Fishlegs, giving his friend a confused look, before hardening. "Of course I can talk. Now, what did you do to me?"

It was Hiccup's turn to look confused. "What do you mean?"

"Why am I a dragon!?" exclaimed the black one, clearly exasperated.

Hiccup had no idea what was going on. "You were born a dragon! I found your egg in Wild Dragon Cliffs, brought you home, and hatched you! What else would you be?"

Hiccup continued to stare into the little dragon's eyes, furthering his confusion as he stared into the slightly hypnotizing green irises, but refused to back down. He was not lying.

Eventually the little dragon seemed to realize this fact. _"You really don't know," _he muttered, reverting to dragonese. He seemed to sink in on himself, head lowering and wings sagging.

Hiccup own heart sank at the misery in the other's tone. _"What don't I know?"_

The little dragon looked up and, for a moment, Hiccup saw it, hiding behind those eyes. Some secret that couldn't be said, some truth not ready to be revealed, before hiding again. _"N-Nothing. I'm….just a little confused. I must have bumped my head too hard on the egg getting out or something." _He tried to give a reassuring smile that didn't reach his eyes. _"I…just need time to think, okay?"_ With that, he headed towards Hiccup's bed, settling himself underneath it.

Hiccup, though tempted, decided to leave the dragon alone. Instead, turning towards Fishlegs, who looked as confused as he felt. "What just happened?"

"Heck if I know. I…..I think he just needs some space."

Fishlegs, while knowing his friend might not be telling him everything, trusted Hiccup enough to let it go. "So…," he said, trying to change the subject, "have you decided on a name yet?"

----Isle of Nothing----

Ug the Uglithug, Chief of the Uglithugs, Lord of the greatest Viking territory, and, unbeknownst to most, majority King of the Mainland, felt the beginnings of something he was not used to feeling as his ship made land. It wasn't fear, he refused to acknowledge such an emotion, but it was….caution.

Of course, considering where they were, such caution should be observed. The Isle of Nothing, while not much to look at being covered most year around by snow, had garnered itself an…unsettling reputation. No one who had ever landed here had ever been seen from again, and even Ug would be loathe to come without an invite.

You see, Ug had something that most of these barbarians in the archipelago lacked, ambition. Not only for the little pieces of land that were fought over by the tribes, no, he wanted to make the whole of the archipelago, and the remainder of the mainland, his.

To this end, he plotted. He encouraged Norbert (the chief of the Hysterics) to sail off to find the mythical land of America, he reminded Madguts (the chief of the Murderous) of the crime that had been committed against his ancestor by the Hooligan tribe, he flaunted his beautiful daughter before the other tribes, and then sent any who would seek her hand off to their dooms.

And now, he was making one of his greatest plays to date as he entered the household of a man only spoken in myth.

It had taken a while, having first heard of the man through a contact he had in Rome, to finally track him down, but he had high hopes that it might be worth it.

This man is, or was, a mercenary at one point in time. Riding a terrible beast, yet not a dragon, into battle for the highest bidder. Then an old King of the Mainland gave the Isle of Nothing to the man in return for a service, although what this service was has been distorted with time. This all taking place hundreds of years ago.

Ug was sure that he would not be seeing the same man, but rather a descendant. But if he had the skills necessary to keep so many people off his island, he was still worth visiting.

He quickly made his way through the corridors, trying to ignore the many dragon trophies that lined it, until he finally reached his destination, the Grand Hall.

And there, sitting on a throne that seemed to be made of a dragon's claw, the man was. Wearing an odd garment, with something shifting in the shadows behind him. Ug, briefly, saw crimson feathers, before those to were obscured in darkness.

**End Note: Ugh….I never like having an OC in a story, to much chance of doing something stupid with them, but I felt I needed this one for Hiccup the First's side of the story. And, speaking of said Hiccup, any suggestions for a dragon name for him will be greatly appreciated.**


	5. Toothless

**Author's Note: I want some critical opinions for this piece, tell me what you liked and disliked. Constructive criticism is always wanted.**

**Disclaimer: Not owning this….**

Hiccup the First didn't know what to think. He was sure that the boy, Hiccup, was not lying. He could see the truth in his eyes, but that made the situation all the stranger. Not only the fact that he was a dragon, which, though probably the strangest, had to be accepted, but also that the boy was the Third Hiccup to be born in the Hooligan Tribe.

'Did Dad find someone else,' he briefly considered, before throwing the notion away. His Dad refused to have another after his Mom. So, that meant that another Stoic was in charge of the Hooligan Tribe. Which meant that something must of happened to his own father.

It was all very confusing. But he knew he had to keep calm, and think things through. Panicking never solved any problem.

Briefly, he wondered what Astrid would think of this situation, or Toothless for that matter.

'_He would wonder why being a dragon was such a scary concept for you,' _answered a lazy, familiar voice in his head, freezing Hiccup cold. The voice wasn't his. He had the distinct feeling of stretching, without moving a muscle.

'_Toothless?'_ he ask/thought.

'_No, it's the Tooth Fairy. Who else.'_ replied the groggy, slightly irritable, voice of his friend.

Okay…..this was different, then again, so was this entire messed up situation, so he decided to run with it. _'Why are you in my head?'_

There was a significant pause on the other end. _'……Crap.'_

Unfortunately, any other, equally confusing, conversation was cut short as the boy, Hiccup (it was going to take a while to get used to that name), looked under the bed.

"_Umm….we're going out now, Outburst," _he started, looking slightly unsure of himself.

'_Did the skinny boy just speak dragonese?' _questioned Toothless, obviously out of the loop.

'_Yes.'_

'……_Did he just call you Outburst?'_

'_Apparently.'_

'……_.Well, at least he didn't name you Puff the Magic Dragon.'_

Mentally, Hiccup, or I guess Outburst, face palmed.

* * *

Hiccup wasn't sure if he should disturb the black hatchling, who he had decided to call Outburst for his first reaction, but knew that it was never, ever, a good idea to leave a new dragon in the house unsupervised. It had taken him only three ruined chairs, a charred table, and a partially eaten throne to learn that lesson well.

"_So, do you want to see your new home?" _he asked Outburst, who had gone from having a distant look in his eyes to staring at him with double intensity.

The hatchling seemed to think for a moment, before giving an unenthusiastic, _"Sure."_ Crawling out from underneath the bed, seeming to deliberately watch his feet to make sure he didn't trip again.

'Why do I always get the crazies?' questioned Hiccup to himself.

He gave Fishlegs a look that told him not to draw attention to the dragon's strange behavior, before opening the door. Just in time to let an overly excited Toothless run in.

"_Is t-the new baby dragon awake yet?"_ he asked before seeing said dragon looking at him in confusion. _"T-there you are!"_ he exclaimed, rushing over and making Outburst, who had been working so hard to stay on his feet, fall over.

"_T-toothless decide that he should train the new dragon!" _the hunting dragon said, a slightly wicked look in his eyes.

'Over my dead body,' thought Hiccup, but instead said, _"Are you sure Toothless? It's a lot of HARD work raising a baby dragon."_

Toothless wasn't especially listening to Hiccup though, nothing new there. _"Yes T-toothless sure. Toothless also d-decide to name new dragon Toothless Junior!"_

Everybody in the room, even Fishlegs who couldn't understand a word that was being said, eye's twitched at that remark (although it is possible that, in Fishlegs case, it was just a coincidence).

"_Actually, Toothless," _started Hiccup, trying to stay calm, _"I've already named him Outburst."_

Toothless snorted. _"That is a s-stupid name. R-right?" _he asked turning to the befuddled Outburst.

"_Actually…"_ began Outburst, but was interrupted as Toothless started to push him to the door.

"_L-let's go!"_ exclaimed Toothless, before practically throwing the slightly smaller, for now, dragon onto his back and racing out the door.

There was a moment of shocked silence in the room before Fishlegs broke it.

"I'm not quite sure what just happened, but I know it can't be good."

Silently, Hiccup nodded his agreement, looking very sick indeed.

The last thing he needed right now was another Toothless.

* * *

Toothless didn't know why he hadn't thought of it before, as he carried the smaller dragon to a secluded area. He had first thought that Hiccup having another dragon would just be bothersome, but, while he'd been eating the no black-bit oysters Hiccup had got him, he had an idea.

What if Toothless trained the new dragon? He could teach him how to hunt for Toothless, how to dig mud baths for Toothless, he could even get the no black-bit oysters for Toothless! (because Master always complained when he did these things)

It was genius!

As he reached a spot where he was sure they wouldn't be disturbed, a small clearing surrounded by bushes, Toothless shrugged the shocked dragon off his back. Turning to get a better look at the new dragon.

Like Hiccup, he wasn't terribly impressed. Small flexible claws that were now digging slightly into the ground beneath; small teeth set in a slight grimace (although Toothless wasn't one to talk about teeth, being, indeed, toothless); no horns to speak of, but having movable long ears in their place; and very small spinal ridges.

"_O-okay Junior," _started Toothless, before being interrupted.

"_Actually," _stated the new dragon, having calmed down, and giving Toothless a weird look, _"I prefer the name Hiccup _(this word came out somewhat forcefully)_ gave me. Outburst."_

Toothless, again, snorted his disapproval, but decided not to press the issue.

….For now.

"_F-first lesson, Toothless is the one in charge, not lazy H-hiccup," _stated Toothless, firmly.

"_Really?" _asked Outburst with a bemused expression that Toothless didn't notice.

"_Y-yes! Toothless just let Hiccup think he in charge,"_ whispered Toothless slyly. _"Toothless do SO many things for Hiccup, b-but Hiccup always complains whenever Toothless ask for something b-back."_

Outburst gave him a strange look, before asking an odd question, _"Can all humans speak dragonese?"_

"_N-no,"_ replied Toothless, slowly,_ "Only Hiccup's weird like that."_

Outburst nodded slowly and began to say something, but was interrupted before it came out.

"_Yes, weird is very much the word for it, I think. But, as they say, dragons start to take after their Masters," _noted a voice from the bushes.

**End Note: Hiccup's new name came from Kiyosaisei Ichimaru. So a special thanks. Also, again, let me know what you think! If the first Hiccup seems a little OOC, remember that he was older when he, er, died than he was in the movie. Did I do good with Toothless? Tell me!**


	6. To lose it all

**Author Note: Meh, I tried to get a little deeper with this chapter. I would appreciate reviews.**

**Disclaimer: "sigh" I do not own these characters, or the original plot from which they came.**

* * *

Outburst, instinctively, shied away as the larger (about the size of a feral wolf) female dragon stepped into sight. Eyes slightly glittering as she took in the two smaller dragons. Toothless bristled indignantly at her comment, whilst Outburst eyed her warily.

If there was one thing he knew, it was dragons. Years of being around them had made him very sensitive to reading their body language, as well as their actual language. Most dragons hadn't been quite as expressive as his Toothless, and, in a time when the dragon human alliance was still new, he had often been asked to help…..mediate.

He really didn't like the way this female was holding herself. Dragons, as a general rule, have a high opinion of themselves, but she seemed to be taking it to a different level. She was very much convinced that she was the center of the universe. Also, by the look in her eyes, he had the distinct feeling that she was thinking about killing them both, for no other reason than she could.

He heard as Toothless started a low growl in his head, echoing through his own throat, before he quickly cut it off. Aggression, especially in a body he wasn't used to, was not a good idea. Though Toothless seemed to disagree with him on this point, the growl still continuing in his head.

The other Toothless, on the other hand (or claw now, he supposed), seemed either completely oblivious to what she was thinking or just didn't care. _"W-what do you want, Fireworm?"_

She looked at Toothless like he was something unpleasant she'd stepped in._ "I was here first, gecko with wings. I should be asking you that question."_

Toothless bristled even more at her snide remark, puffing himself up in an effort to look bigger._ "T-toothless is going to t-train Master's new riding dragon."_

She turned her attention to Outburst, amusement evident in her eyes. _"That's a riding dragon? I thought it was an overgrown newt."_

For his own part, Outburst didn't so much blink at the insult. He was quite used to them.

Fireworm stalked toward him, contemptibly brushing aside Toothless, to get a better look at him. Appraising and dismissing him with her gaze.

'_Eyes on her claws,'_ advised Toothless in his head. _'And don't flinch.'_

"_My Master," _Fireworm continued, stopping in her inspection, _"got a True Nightmare for a riding dragon, while your's got a glorified salamander. What kind of dragon is he?" _Despite affecting an demeanor of nonchalance, there was also an edge of actual curiosity in her voice.

"_H-he's a very rare umm….one of a k-kind…."_ sputtered Toothless, not really knowing what Outburst was, but not wanting Fireworm to know that (and failing miserably).

"_Night Fury," _Outburst supplied. _"I'm a Night Fury."_

For a second, Outburst thought he saw vague recollection pass through Fireworm's eyes, before disappearing. _"Hrrr," _a noncommittal rumble. With that she turned, deliberately hitting Toothless with the end of her tail in doing so. _"While it's been fun seeing you again,"_ she stated in a sarcastic tone, _"I really don't have time to play with you peasants."_ With that, she gave a hard flap of her wings, kicking up dust in both smaller dragons' faces, and was off.

As soon as she was out of hearing range, Toothless started screaming bloody murder. _"Y-yeah! You'd b-better run! You stuck up, piece of l-limpet!" _And so on and so forth.

'…_..What kind of situation are we actually in, Hiccup?'_ asked the Toothless in his head.

'_I'd hope you could tell me,' _admitted Outburst sullenly. _'Do you know what happened to me?'_

'…_.Maybe, but to you mind if we go a somewhere a little less….loud?'_ Referring to the still ranting hunting dragon.

'_Sure,'_ agreed Outburst, oddly confident that he find his way back to Hiccup's house. (it was the largest on the island) He silently (a rather difficult prospect in a new body) slipped away, not stopping until he could no longer hear Toothless' screaming. Doing so, he noticed something about the island.

This was not Berk, not his Berk at least. His Berk consisted of mainly stones and trees and cliffs, with only a few meadows interspaced between. The rocky terrain and thick tree roots made mud (at least deep mud) an impossibility. Here, the landscape was almost purely marsh, with the village located on the top of a steep hill near the ocean, instead of located alongside a seaside cliff. His village had been built to withstand dragon raids, caves along the cliff offering protection for families against flame, and with the cliff behind them, made a frontal assault the only option. Of course, it also meant that the village was often wracked by high tides and fierce storms.

Settling himself in a, relatively, dry spot, where he was sure he would not be found, Outburst placed such thoughts about his home on hold for now. _'Tell me.'_

Uncommonly, Toothless' voice sounded oddly thoughtful. _'What is the last thing you remember? Before hatching.'_

Still somewhat unsettled by the thought that he had 'hatched', Outburst tried to turn his mind back.

He remembered…smoke, burning smoke. Smoke that made the eyes water, and made you appreciate every clean breath. Smoke that put the thickest a dragon could make to shame.

And heat…he remembered that. Heat that blistered and burned. A type of heat he had only felt once before.

Then….pain. But, before pain, sadness. And then falling and….

'_I…I died?' _choked Outburst, his throat throbbing and raw in remembrance.

'_We died,' _confirmed Toothless.

'_But….but we aren't dead! This isn't Valhalla! Right?'_

With the amount of time he and Toothless spent together, even knowing he was only a voice now, Outburst knew what Toothless' expression was. Closing his eyes and shaking his head slowly.

'_No, we're not dead. I…I don't know exactly what happened. I know I'd died and was moving somewhere…else. Something was moving me along, telling me that I did good, that I didn't need to fight anymore. It was…peaceful, surreal. I was okay with dying.'_

There was a significant pause.

'_Then…then I felt you, moving alongside me, and it was suddenly not okay. I could except my own death, but not yours. I grabbed onto you, and we went somewhere else…or maybe we just stopped. I felt the thing that had been moving me along get angry, saying that I couldn't stay here, couldn't be half alive, that I had to let you go.'_

'_I told him to go to Hel.'_

Outburst let out a slightly hysteric chuckle.

'_And then there was waiting….long, long, waiting, and you were asleep the entire time. But then I felt you waking up, and there was light and black and…..'_

'_And?'_ prompted Outburst.

'_And then I woke up and you were complaining, as usual.'_

Outburst face palmed. Trust Toothless to make a serious moment into a joke. _'Do you know how it happened?'_

A mental shrug was all he got as an answer.

Slowly, Outburst tried to process this new information. That he had Died, and somehow came back to draconic life.

He wondered why it seemed that the Gods always seemed to take interest in his life. He hadn't decided yet if they were for or against him.

'_Do you know how long we were…er…between?' _he asked, remembering that the boy had said he was the Third Hiccup.

'_Well there wasn't exactly a calendar I could use,' _stated Toothless, somewhat tersely._ 'If I had to guess…..at least a century or two.'_

Before Outburst could truly comprehend that amount of time, Toothless offered an idea of his own. _'Hey, maybe that Hiccup boy is your descendant, or something. He does look a little like you around the eyes and hair.'_

Outburst gave a shake of his head. _'Me and Astrid didn't have any kids, remember?'_

The silence that came from Toothless was palpable.

'_Right?'_ questioned Outburst, worried.

'…_.It….it wasn't…my place to...'_ stuttered Toothless.

A cold shaft lodged itself in Outburst's chest._ '….How long?'_

'_A month or two along….Astrid didn't even know yet.' _

'_I…I had a child?'_ Realization hit him like a boulder, _'They'd be dead now….Ruff and Tuff, Fishlegs, Snotlout,…Dad, Ast…'_ he couldn't complete the thought.

The fact that dragons couldn't shed tears made it worse, the only thing he could manage was a low keen that echoed in his throat. The world he knew was gone.

* * *

Hiccup was not having a good day.

….Okay, maybe considering how his life usually is it could be considered an okay day.

He had spent the majority of the day over at Fishlegs' house, trying to help his friend with his own riding dragon.

He was quite surprised he hadn't lost a finger in the process, and, if anything, he thought he had done more harm than good.

In any case, he went home hoping that Toothless hadn't affected Outburst too much. He was already bone tired from having to deal with Nailbiter (he might never complain about Toothless again after seeing how bad That dragon was), and didn't think he had the strength to deal with the demands of two dragons.

Of course, he still expected to see the two when he got home. _"Toothless, where is Outburst?"_

Toothless, who was lying in a corner, absently chewing on a one of Stoic's boots, looked up at Hiccup, and gave him a passable innocent look. _"W-who Outburst? Toothless d-doesn't know any Outburst, and T-toothless certainly didn't lose anybody n-named Outburst."_

In case you didn't notice, Toothless is a very bad liar.

Hiccup pinched the bridge of his nose, not having the energy to call the little dragon on his obvious lying. Instead he just turned and walked out the door, hoping to find the infant dragon before dark.

This, as you may guess by Hiccup's usual luck, did not happen. He didn't want to go home before finding Outburst, but he was afraid that if he didn't than he would probably just drop, dead asleep. Which was Not a good idea.

As he went to his room, however, a sound managed to snap him awake a little bit. A soft, low, mournful moan that made his chest hurt, and his eyes water of their own accord.

"_Master," _started Toothless in his usual spot at the foot of his bed, _"I-I think something is r-really wrong with Outburst."_ Even he seemed subdued by the sound.

Slight panic set in. _"Where is he? Did he seem hurt?"_

"_He u-under the bed, and T-toothless not smell any blood."_

Immediately, Hiccup ducked down low, looking under the bed. _"Outburst, what's wrong? Are you not feeling well?"_ He remembered the time Toothless had eaten too much metal and had nearly died. There hadn't been any blood then either.

Twin green eyes blinked at him in the darkness. Full of more sorrow than Hiccup had ever seen. "Leave me alone. Don't worry about me."

The tone Outburst used, one far far too old for anything so young, only made Hiccup worry more. _"I want to help you." _he said, reaching in to try and grab the small dragon. Only to recoil as the dragon gave him a sharp bite, deeper than what his small teeth should have been able to manage.

"I SAID LEAVE ME ALONE! You're not….not…" Outburst seemed unable to get the rest of his sentence out.

Slowly Hiccup looked between the dragon, to his bloodied hand, to Toothless, who just shook his head. _"Toothless think you should do as he say."_

Hiccup nodded his agreement, though he still wondered what had made the dragon so upset. _"Okay, I'll leave you alone Outburst. I hope you feel better in the morning…"_

He didn't even get a grunt from Outburst.


	7. To Live Again

**Author's Note: My mind works oddly. If I'm inspired, I can get a chapter written in an hour or two. If not, I get bupkis.**

**Disclaimer: Dragons, dragons everywhere, but not one belongs to me. **

* * *

'_You really didn't need to bite him,'_ commented Toothless slowly, after the boy had fallen asleep.

Outburst groaned, placing his front feet over his 'ears' in an attempt to block out Toothless. Almost instantly he realized the uselessness of such an action, you couldn't block out a voice inside your own head.

'_Just because you're a voice inside my head doesn't make you my conscious,'_ he informed Toothless tersely. Although, in actuality, he did regret that he'd bitten the boy. He hadn't meant to, he'd just reacted.

'_Actually…'_ drawled Toothless slowly, _'I think it does. I might have, accidentally, pushed your old one out when I moved in.'_

Outburst had to consciously prevent the soft chuckle from escaping his mouth. Toothless's good humor had always been infectious, but he didn't really want to be happy right. It didn't feel right.

'_How can you be so calm?'_ he asked. _'Everyone we knew and loved is gone! Don't you care?'_ Outburst knew that question really wasn't fair, he knew Toothless had to care, but he didn't particularly care about that at the moment.

It took a long moment for Toothless to find his reply. _'You know I do, it's just….'_ Toothless made the mental equivalent of a sigh. _'I accepted the fact that I'd probably outlive you, all of you, a long time ago. Dragon's life span and all that….'_

'…_..How could you just accept that?' _asked Outburst, wanting, needing, to know.

'_Because I knew that everyone would want me to live. To live life to it's fullest, even if it was without them. They wouldn't want me to just give up and roll up in a corner to die.'_

Outburst knew that last statement had been aimed at him, but still…._'I'll miss them.'_

'_I will too, but, and I know how corny this sounds, as long as you keep their memory alive, their not truly gone.'_

A few minutes of silenced passed between the two before Outburst finally spoke up again, feeling somewhat better. _'You're right…..that really was corny. And when did you get so deep?'_

Toothless laughed. _'I blame the fact that I'm purely cerebral now.'_

They shared a laugh before slipping into another silence. _'So…_' started Outburst,_ 'what do you think I should do now?'_

'_Live,' _answered Toothless plainly, _'and, quite frankly, I doubt that you'd manage that if you tried to go out on your own. A great hunter, you are not.'_

'_Do you think I should tell the boy, Hiccup?'_ Outburst still wasn't quite used to using that name for someone else yet.

This time, Toothless laughed so loud he was certain the noise was coming out his ears. _'Tell him what? That you're actually his ancestor reborn as a dragon with the spirit of your old dragon living inside your head? I'm living it, and even I'm not convinced that this isn't just some story plot made by a rather deranged mind. He'd probably, rightfully, label you as crazy and throw you to the sharks.'_

'_I'm sure he wouldn't do that,'_ stated Outburst firmly. _'But I get the point.'_

It took a pause before something else Toothless had said sunk in. _'Do you really think he's my descendent?'_

'_Possibly, most likely if this really is some story plot. He does look a little like you.'_

Outburst shook his head for a second, getting up on his feet. He wanted to take a look for these supposed similarities himself. Slowly, both due to not wanting to wake either Hiccup or his Toothless, and his own tiredness, he jumped up onto the single chair beside the bed. Unfortunately, he still couldn't really get a good look at Hiccup's face.

Deciding that Hiccup wasn't likely to wake up, if the fact that he didn't when his Toothless started up a loud snore, he jumped over, accidentally landing on Hiccup's chest. He tensed expecting Hiccup to wake up instantly and ask what he was doing.

To his surprise, this did not happen. Instead the boy just mumbled in his sleep that he'd get Toothless oysters later.

'_Dead to the world,'_ commented his own Toothless. Something Outburst agreed with.

Slowly, he turned on the boy's chest positioning himself to get a good look at his face.

There were, he admitted, a lot of similarities. His face was a little broader, the nose a little bigger, and his hair a good shade or two lighter red than his own had been, but underneath that, it was almost like looking in a mirror.

'_I…I think he really is. I think he's my grandson.'_

'_Make that great-great-great-great-great grandson,'_ commented Toothless.

Somehow, that fact made Outburst swoon. He had a grandson, and he was alive!

Slowly, very slowly, the days events started to catch up with him. He was so very tired, and the rhythmic motion of Hiccup's chest combined with the sound of the boy's beating heart started to lull him asleep. Still on the boy's chest, he laid down, too tired to care if he was caught or not.

* * *

Hiccup awoke with an odd pressure on his chest. Groaning, he opened his eyes expecting to see Toothless there telling him to get the dragon fish. What he actually saw was a small black mass lying on his chest. Startled and still half asleep, he bolted up out of bed causing the black thing to fall the floor.

"I'm up! I'm up! Did the dragons start another fire?" asked the black lump, shooting to his feet and looking around with wide confused eyes.

The voice managed to break through Hiccup's own stupor, making him remember that the black lump was actually Outburst. His Dragon. That he'd just thrown to the floor.

"_Sorry Outburst..I…uh…didn't recognize you."_ Hiccup felt a bit awkward, he wanted to pick the dragon back up, but the stinging in his hand reminded him that might not be a very good idea. _"Are you okay?"_

Outburst's eyes found their focus again. _"Yeah, just find. I've lived through worst falls."_

The choice of words were a bit odd to Hiccup (what other falls?), but he didn't want to press the issue when Outburst seemed in a better mood.

…Still…

"What were you do…." The rest of Hiccup's sentence was cut of by Toothless, who had just woken up as well, as he jumped onto Hiccup's shoulder.

Before the little dragon could get a word in, Hiccup gave a loud sigh and beat the dragon to the punch. _"Let me guess, fish?"_

Toothless practically beamed. _"Master is learning!"_

Hiccup gave another sigh before returning his attention to Outburst. _"How about you Outburst? Are you hungry?"_

Oddly, the infant looked a bit uncomfortable about the question. _"Maybe a little bit."_ To point out how much of an understatement this was, his stomach gave an impressively loud rumble for his size.

Shaking his head at the dragon's reluctance, he turned toward the door, saying on his way out, _"Stay here, I'll be right back."_


	8. Matters of Fate and Flight

**Author's Note: I'm speeding up the story! Reviews are wanted!**

**Disclaimer: No one owns dragons. Unfortunately, they don't exist. :(**

-Isle of Nothing-

UG slowly let out the breath that he hadn't known he'd been holding as he finally exited the compound, stepping into the cool morning sun. For the first time in a long time, he felt….unnerved. For over a day, he had been in negotiations with the mercenary that called himself Ifrit, going over every single detail with a meticulousness that would have driven most Vikings insane. Although, to be fair, Ifrit's (or his ancestor's) last deal hadn't gone exactly as he'd planned. Having been promised an island of his own, only to be given this speck of rock that was bleak even compared to Barbarian standards.

That wasn't what had unnerved UG though, he was a very patient man. No, what had unnerved him was the way Ifrit spoke. He sounded dead. Not cold, not rude, not even professionally detached, he had spoken in a dead, monotone voice with no inflections or emotions. Even when he described killing the young Seadragonous Maximus from which his claw throne had been made, he still hadn't shone the slightest hint of the pride that should have been present in his words.

Then, of course, had been the man's beast who, despite having been there a long time, UG had never gotten a good look at. Those violet piercing eyes, he was sure, would follow him in his dreams. In contrast to the man, the beast seemed positively animated, stalking around in the dark corners, making UG keep an eye on it for the entirety of the conversation. He would not put it past the two to try and kill him in the middle of the negotiations.

Slowly, he made his way back to his boat thankful that a strong gale hadn't managed to blow it away. He wanted off this island now!

-Far North-

Excellenor stretched her old bones as the first of the morning's waves hit. Today would be the day that she finally revealed her plan to the Wanderers and she would need to be in top form to convince them to join her.

Yesterday had gone exactly as planned. The Wanderers, while at first mistrustful, had welcomed her as soon as she had convinced them of who she was.

After all…..these were her people.

Her son, on the opposite hand, was a different matter altogether. Speaking of which….

"OW!" yelped Alvin, waking up from his floor bed and rubbing his side where the witch had kicked him. "Twenty years, and you haven't thought of a different way to wake me?"

"Actually, I'd thought of several," replied Excellenor as cold as the ice outside. "Fortunately for you, I've decided that your body can't take any more permanent damage. Thor knows how you've managed to survive this long without me."

"I was doing just fine until I met that rabbit hearted Hiccup!" roared Alvin. "If you can really see into the future, why didn't you ever warn me about him!" Alvin had developed a rather unhealthy obsession about the boy, and had trouble going five minutes without cursing his name.

Excellenor became uncommonly quite. In truth, Fate wasn't saying anything about this Hiccup the Third, just like it hadn't the Second either. A long, long time ago, her teacher had explained that, according to Fate, Hiccup the Second was supposed to have been eaten on the mountain side by the same dragons that instead adopted him. Instead, he changed the course of destiny, inadvertently or not, causing the break up of one the greatest Viking kingdoms in history. Hiccups, it seemed, were exempt from the rules of Fate and truly were changers of history. This, of course, meant that he would simply have to be killed. Excellenor had placed to much time and effort in her plans to let them be ruined by a wild card.

Of course, she wasn't about to tell her son this.

"I told you that great misfortune followed your path," she grated through clenched teeth. "Fate rarely gives something like dates, and even more rarely names. Now, shut up and get ready, we speak to the Wanderer council in an hour. If you have any sense whatsoever in that head of your's you'll let me do all the talking."

Alvin growled at her, but consented. For now, he would have to trust his mother.

A fact that went against every fiber of his being.

-Two weeks Later, Berk-

"_No, no! You have to…..I don't know! Open your wings some more?"_ instructed/complained Hiccup, as Outburst crashed for the thirty-fifth try at flying.

In the past hour.

Even after two weeks, Hiccup still didn't know quite what to think of the little black dragon. He'd never heard of a more easily trained dragon. Actually, Hiccup wasn't quite sure if he had had to train him at all. He seemed to always pay attention whenever Hiccup was talking, except for the few times that he'd had a rather distant look in his eyes and was all but dead to the world. He hadn't done the usual hatchling things that Hiccup would have expected, like chew on furniture and chase his feet across the floor. Fortunately, he was growing at a fairly average speed for a hatchling, already more than doubling in size since he'd hatched. No, in those areas, he hadn't had the slightest of problems.

But on the opposite side of the spectrum, a more undragonish attitude could hardly be imagined. He hadn't shown any interest in hunting the near cat sized rats that lived in the house. He didn't play or torment his food, he even seemed almost reluctant in eating it except when he was truly hungry. Most of the time, he would just lie down, staring into space or making marks in the ground with a single claw, marks that he would always smudge out before Hiccup could get a look at. It had taken him four days to walk and run properly without tripping on his own feet. And now, nearly a week after all the other hatchling dragons learned to fly, he was struggling. Flying should be instinct!

Outburst gave him one of those deadpanned looks that he was quite good at, only slightly spoiled by the soil still clinging to those strange ears of his and the oddly detached amusement that sparked in his eyes. "Why don't you grow wings and a tail, and see how easy you find flying."

Hiccup gave him as much as a crossed look as he could manage, which was rather pathetic, not so much for the remark as the fact that the dragon had spoken in Norse. He'd told Outburst already that it was better if he hid that fact, Vikings not being very accepting of new in the best of time, but whenever Outburst was really annoyed, he'd switched over to it. Fortunately, he had yet to speak Norse in front of anyone who hadn't already knew he could.

Realizing a lost cause when he saw it, Hiccup turned to his companions for support. Toothless was…..well Toothless was still laughing like he had been for the past hour, compassion had never been his forte. Fishlegs was only half watching the spectacle, the rest of his attention focused on Nailbiter who was lying beside him. Nailbiter was busy chewing on something that looked disturbingly like a human femur.

Fortunately, Hiccup didn't seem to need any support as he turned back to Outburst. The dragon seeming to have deflated from his previous annoyance.

"_I'm…sorry, I know it's not your fault,"_ said Outburst, slowly. _"Do you mind if I go take a break for a little bit? Maybe clear my head?" _Tilting his head to bottom of the small hill they were practicing on, to the small meadow.

Another thing that disturbed Hiccup about Outburst was how polite he could be. _"Sure, just don't take too long."_

Outburst gave a small nod, and turned to go down the hill. Hiccup gave a small shake of his own head as he watched him go, not knowing what to do. It just didn't make sense that the small dragon didn't know how to fly.

* * *

'_You're thinking about it too much,' _commented Toothless as Outburst settled down in the tall grasses.

'_Thinking too much about what?' _questioned Outburst. He was tired and sore, and didn't want to try and figure out Toothless' words on his own.

'_Everything. About the past, about the future, how to fly, everything.'_

Outburst snorted, he'd always been one to over think things, and, for the most part, it had served him well. Did Toothless think that he would have managed to make that flight saddle without over thinking?

'_True, but think about all the good things that have happened when you just acted.'_

Outburst gave a shake of his head, even if Toothless was his best friend, it was still disturbing that he knew his thoughts. _'So what would you suggest?'_

'_Your body already know what to do, just close your eyes and jump.'_

It is rather impossible to give yourself a look, but that didn't stop Outburst from trying his hardest. _'It can't be that easy.'_

Toothless gave the mental equivalent to a shrug. _'What have you got to lose.' _

Outburst admitted that was a good point. Slowly, he closed his eyes, gathered his strength in his back legs, and jumped straight up.

And flapped.

And flapped.

….And flapped.

Incredulously, Outburst's eyes shot open. Just in time to see the tree he was about to fly into. He veered, not completely knowing what his body was doing to do that, and managed to turn enough to avoid the tree and go beyond it.

Straight into the forest behind it.

It was rather like déjà vu. He twisted and turned, and even barrel rolled at one point, before turning his body upward flapping through the top branches and clearing the tree line.

All three of Outburst's hearts felt like they were trying to break out of him, yet a strong sense of relief suffused him, he was alive. And he felt more alive than since he'd been reborn as a dragon, the air pushing against his wings, the refreshingly cool air streaming down his throat.

Toothless was laughing inside his head.


End file.
